Warrens Bakery facts for kids
Warrens Bakery is a well-known company from Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. It says it is Britain's oldest maker of the famous Cornish pasty. The bakery started way back in 1860 in a place called St Just. Warrens Bakery makes many yummy baked goods. They sell these treats in their own shops and also to other stores. In December 2019, the company made an agreement with its suppliers and landlords to help it keep going.
Contents
The Story of Warrens Bakery
How Warrens Bakery Started
For a long time, Warrens Bakery was a family business. In 2012, it became a limited company. This meant it could get money from people who wanted to invest in the business. New investors, like Mark Sullivan, who is now the chairman, joined. Around this time, other bakeries were also selling pasties, which made things a bit harder for Warrens. Because of this, between March and October 2012, the company closed five shops and a place where they prepared goods for other sellers. About 12 staff members also lost their jobs.
Growing and Changing
In January 2015, Warrens Bakery received £1.6 million from a bank called Santander UK. This money helped them make their existing shops look new and modern. It also helped them open more shops. The company also got a loan of £250,000 from Cornwall Council. This loan was planned to be paid back by April 2021.
By June 2018, the company was selling more products. However, they still faced some challenges. The cost of ingredients went up, and opening new shops also cost a lot of money. This meant the company had a loss of £915,000 before taxes. At that time, Warrens Bakery had 574 employees.
More changes happened in 2019. In July, 66 jobs in making and delivering products were at risk at their sites in St Just and Plymouth. In November, the company announced that it would close its main site in St Just, which they had used since the 1970s. They also closed 20 shops, including some they had opened in Wiltshire. By the end of 2019, the number of employees had gone down to about 350. A shop in Mere Green in the West Midlands, which was their only shop outside the South West of England, also closed in 2019.
After a meeting with people the company owed money to in December 2019, Warrens Bakery entered a special agreement. This agreement helped the company manage its debts and continue to operate.
How Warrens Bakery Works
Shops and Products
As of early 2020, Warrens Bakery is the biggest chain of bakeries in South West England. It has 44 shops, mostly in Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset. You can also buy their products online. They sell to other shops and businesses through their wholesale brand, which is called Simply Cornish.
Company Structure
Since June 2016, Warrens Bakery has been part of a bigger group called Provenance Brands Limited. Another company, Cornish Sea Salt Company Limited, is also part of this group. Provenance Brands also owns Warrens Bakery Franchise Limited. This part of the company helps other people open Warrens Bakery shops as "franchises." In 2018, it was said that many new franchised stores were being planned.
